Iconic D.C. property the Watergate Hotel reopened to much fanfare in June after an extensive $200 million renovation by Euro Capital Properties. The hotel had been closed since 2007, and Ron Arad Architects renovated the space with nods to its 1960s history. The original staircase and indoor pool have been restored, and Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant created the employee uniforms. The Watergate now offers more than 17,000 square feet of flexible indoor event space and 10,000 square feet of outdoor space. The largest indoor/outdoor space is the Moretti Grand Ballroom and Terrace, which spans nearly 7,000 square feet. The ballroom can hold 510 seated guests or 600 standing guests, while the terrace holds 50 guests on the main deck and 100 on the lower desk. The 1,900-square-foot Cecchi Junior Ballroom can accommodate 140 seated guests or 250 standing guests, while the hotel’s rooftop bar Top of the Gate is equipped with fire pits and can hold as many as 250 with 360-degree views of Washington and the Potomac River. For a more intimate event, the Library accommodates 60 seated guests or 80 standing guests. There are two additional terraces available for events: the Terrace at the Next Whisky Bar can host 120, and the Kingbird Terrace, the outdoor terrace attached to the hotel's main restaurant, seats 80.
Kimpton marked its 10th hotel in Washington in June with the opening of Kimpton Glover Park Hotel on the border of Rock Creek Park. The hotel offers nearly 3,860 square feet of total event space. There’s the Walnut Room, a 1,860-square-foot ballroom that can hold as many as 200 standing guests, and the 2,000-square-foot Tunlaw Terrace, an open-air space best suited for 150. The hotel’s new 156-seat coastal Italian restaurant Casolare is helmed by acclaimed chef Michael Schlow, and will provide catering for all events and meetings at Glover Park Hotel with completely customized menu options.
Last year, the Mayflower Hotel completed a $20 million room renovation and joined the Marriott International’s Autograph Collection portfolio of hotels. In May, the hotel’s District Ballroom wrapped up a restoration and renovation that modernized the ballroom’s color scheme. The Gettys Group refreshed the District Ballroom with a color scheme of soft creams, grays, and whites; dark wood accents at the railings and stage; and a new carpet with a pattern strewn with stylized cherry blossoms. The 4,352-square-foot venue can host 240 guests for theatre-style events or 320 guests for banquet-style events.
In June, celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic (along with Chef Doug Psaltis, R.J. Melman, Jerrod Melman, and Molly Melman) opened a D.C. outpost of their Chicago-based RPM Italian restaurant. Located in Mt. Vernon Triangle, this is the first RPM restaurant to open outside Chicago. The restaurant’s Milan-inspired decor emphasizes dark wood and leather, with a color scheme of gray, black, and white.The 11,000-square-foot restaurant includes a main dining room and bar that seats as many as 170, a west patio that seats 32, and a south patio that seats 52, as well as four separate private dining spaces. RPM’s boardroom seats 10, two private dining rooms each seat 32, and an additional private dining room seats 16. The three private rooms can be opened into one large dining room that accommodates 150 standing guests. RPM’s total capacity is 344 seated or 450 standing. The front bar and main dining room can host 125 standing guests per room.
The National Air and Space Museum reopened the “Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall” in July after a two-year renovation made possible by a gift by Boeing. The hall’s reopening coincides with the museum’s 40th anniversary, and the space includes some of the museum’s most iconic artifacts, like the Apollo Lunar Module and Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis.” The installation now includes a 16-by-12-foot interactive wall that helps visitors explore the museum, along with a corresponding “Go Flight” mobile app. The hall seats 350 or holds 700 for standing receptions.
New from mixologist Gina Chersevani is an outdoor beer garden called Neal Place Tap & Garden, which opened at the Union Market District in July. The beer garden boasts a boccie court and a bar with a 19-tap system for beers and Chersevani’s craft sodas. Neal Place Tap & Garden can hold as many as 299 guests.
Indoor cycling brand Flywheel Sports opened its second Washington studio in June, at CityCenterDC downtown. The studio is equipped with 72 bikes, making this Flywheel’s largest D.C. location. It also boasts FlyBarre, a complementary total body sculpting class. Private events can be held at the studio, offering 45-minute Flywheel cycling classes with personalized playlists and custom graphics on Flywheel’s TorqBoards that lets riders compete against one another. For an additional fee, groups can use the studio for receptions before or after private rides.
